I’ve been using the online world to create publicity for my offline business ventures since 1996. In the beginning, I got sucked into the mindset that doing business “online only” was the way to go. I didn’t realize how much money was sitting on the table (as they say) in my own local economy. At the time, someone I knew was selling downloadable digital products for between $97 and $197 a shot. He said more times than I can remember, “I have no inventory, no overhead and my business virtually runs itself.”

Who wouldn’t enjoy that kind of business, right?

It wasn’t long, however, before his returns started ballooning at an alarming rate. His “digital only” model left a sour taste in the mouths of many of his customers – after the fact. Once buyer’s remorse kicked in, the returns started eating away at his profits noticeably. To alleviate the problem, he began publishing his products in a 3-ring binder format along with a CD and mailed the product out. This helped and the wave of returns finally subsided.

Of course, it’s easy to romance an “internet only” type of business model. The problem is, while some have spent years chasing customers from around the world, they’ve neglected the ones right under their noses in their own “backyards.” I’m talking about the money that’s always been available in your local economy.

As my friend Jim Straw says, “Ninety-percent of the money to be made will be found in your local economy.”

In recent years I’ve used to online world to generate more business than ever before in the offline world.  Although I have clients and customers throughout the country, it’s twice as easy to secure local clients because people still enjoy doing business with others – face to face.

This isn’t a knock on the Online world at all. Thanks to the Internet, just about all of my paper and ink promotional materials have become a thing of the past.  The difference is, I now use my business cards to direct potential clients and customers to my online promotional materials such as web sites, eBooks, etc.

Likewise, you can effectively use the Internet to promote your offline business activities and pursuits with great effectiveness.  I’ve been experimenting in this area since 2006 and I’ll be upfront with you right here and tell you what the secret is. Stay on message.

Using the Internet to create publicity for your offline business can work a lot faster once you understand the mechanics of direct marketing in the online world.  In the Online world; facts, figures and information are churned out throughout the day at a frenzied pace. The attention span of those reading and assimilating this information is shorter than ever before. According to statistics, the average person has to see the same message up to 7 times before they actually digest its content.

Back in the old days, everyone used to listen to local, FM radio stations. They’d play the same songs over and over again. Eventually, certain singles would rise to the top and become hits. You see, the principle is the same whether you’re talking about images, audio or video. The more you’re exposed to the same message – regardless of the medium, the more ingrained it becomes.

Recently, new statistics were released. According to the new study… the average person now has to be exposed to the same message  – UP TO 12 TIMES before the message is internalized and digested!

What does this mean for your online marketing and publicity campaigns? Do you want new customers and clients knocking on your door, supporting your events, buying your products and recommending what you’re offering to others?  Of course you do. How can you realistically accomplish this?

By staying on message!

What’s your message to the world? What is the #1 reason people should buy your product and not the next person’s?  Unless you have the time and energy to pump multiple messages out into the online world – dozens upon dozens of times… staying on message is so important, your businesses offline survival may literally depend on it one day (if not already).

One message – delivered dozens of times on forums, blogs, websites, social media networks, etc., that’s what works in 2010.

In my own case, I sell multiple products and services to offline businesses. But my central message to offline companies is very clear and simple. I have a lead product/service that I promote. That’s what brings potential clients and customers to the table. Once they come to the table, they now in a position to buy additional products.

Amidst all the confusion associated with Online Marketing and Publicity, there’s some very good news for you. Most of your competitors don’t have a clue as to how to use the Internet effectively for their offline business. They’re just groping in the dark, the blind leading the blind. Forget about them for now. They’re blasting a different message into the cyberspace every other day and people are too busy and too inundated with other things for any of it to stick.

You must be different.

Take some time to really craft a message you can get behind. One message, powered by your personal energy and enthusiasm can do wonders for your business.  How do you find a message that works? Only by testing. Test and adjust as you go. It once took me an entire year to do this with one of my businesses. I guess it was a case of better late than never!

Over the past 50+ years, I have made fortune after fortune in a diversity of businesses … direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist & Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing, finder’s fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold & coal mining, offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing.

As I made those fortunes (while I was still  doing it),  I wrote down what I was doing,  why I had done it, and how I had done it, for future generatins of aggressive entrepreneurs.  By reading what, why and how I had done it future generations  of enterpreneurs wouldn’t  have to learn by trial and error as I had.

It thrilled me no end to learn that students of mine amassed fortunes … sometimes even greater than my own … doing what I had taught them. — It saddened me, however, to learn that other students of mine had not.

Why?

What was the difference between those of my students who achived great successes and those who didn’t?  Both had the same opportunity.  Both  had the same training. — What could they be doing differently?

I found the answer, written some 50 years ago, on a yellowing piece of paper,  in the top drawer of my desk. — It admonished …

“Let him who would be great  among you be servant to all.”

Whenever I have taken on a product or service to sell … whether my own or someone else’s … my first and only question was “Will this product or service be of benefit to my customers?”

If the product  or service didn’t offer a true value and  benefit to my customers, I simply found another product or service that would … regardless of how much I could have made selling it

Unfortunately, all too many beginning entrepreneurs ask only “How much is the commission to me?”

You will find this attitude prevalent on the Internet where hopeful affiliates concentrate on “how much” they can make in commissions without considering the value and benefit to their customers.

Before taking on  any product or service to sell to your customers, ask yourself “Will this product or service be of benefit to my customers?” – If not, find another product or  service that will  serve your  customers.

My lifelong success system has made me fortune after fortune based on the simple admonition …

“Let him who would be great  among you be servant to all.”
Adopt the same principle and achieve the success that you have been seeking.

When I started my first business as a young 20-something, I worked a lot of hours for very little profit. Come to think of it, there wasn’t any profit at all. Not when you total in the total amount of hours and time spent trying to “sell stuff.” In the terms of dollars and cents, there wasn’t a profit at all. The real profit, however, that didn’t become apparent until years later could ultimately summed up with one word. Experience.

Some things you can learn from the mistakes of others. You can learn many things from the experiences other people. Other things, however, we only seem destined to learn through our own personal experiences. I like the term, “school of hard knocks.” It implies that you’ve paid your dues in some way shape or form.  That’s because when you get right down to it, there’s a price attached to everything in the way of time, money or both.

In my own experience, my own personal school of hard knocks came in the form of a direct marketing, mail order business I started at the age of 21.

Next came an office cleaning company. I guess you could call it “Hard knocks 102.”

A graphic design business followed that.

With each effort, I came away with another singular piece to a puzzle. For the longest time, however, there never seemed to be enough pieces to form any type of clear cut picture or direction. There were just enough clues to send me in a general direction.

The first phase of my business life ultimately led to the next. I call this the “blue print phrase.” Following a business “blueprint” allowed me to build my first successful publishing business. Basically, a blueprint for a business is very similar to any other type of blueprint. It shows you what goes where and how the pieces fit together.

Once you start putting everything together with your own information, however, the paint-by-numbers aspect of the process ends and the “real work” begins.

Today, I’ve found my perfect business. Does it involve work? Sure, it definitely does. It’s the kind I can usually start and stop more often than not, however, according to my schedule. I can choose for the most part, whether I do my work in the morning, afternoon or night. There have been times I’ve worked from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. Other times, I’ve worked from 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. in the morning. I’m more of a night person… so for me, it’s easier for me to work past midnight than it is to rise at 6:00 a.m.

It’s taken quite a few years to get to this place. Many in which I’ve worked morning, noon and night until I was so tired I practically passed out at my desk!

Every day out there in the real brick and mortar world, millions and millions of people drag themselves from the warm, warm beds, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, and head off to their jobs as they are thinking that there has got to be an easier way to make a living.

Working from home sounds like an ideal solution to them. Many dissatisfied people quit their jobs and plunge head-first into internet marketing with no preparation, no knowledge of what they are doing. The laws of business do not change whether you’re talking about the online or offline world.

The fact is that according to many sources, more than 90% (Ninety percent) of all Internet business start-ups end in failure within the first 120 (one hundred twenty) days.

It is strange but somehow the same people who wouldn’t dream of starting a real world business, think they can make a go of an internet business even though they have no business background.

People will go into an internet business with the idea that they no longer have to get up and go to work. They think they can simply work when the feel like it and still make a good living. They simply do not expect to have to work hard or work long hours.

Internet businesses do not run completely on auto-pilot. There are many process you can learn to automate effectively over time, but it usually doesn’t happen overnight. Most people are totally unprepared for the time investment that must be made in order for an internet business to become successful.

1. Having a solid business plan in place BEFORE you launch your online business. There is an old saying: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”. A detailed plan mapping out the steps for getting from point A to point B should be in place.  Very seldom can you “wing it” and have things turn out the way you want them to in your life. This is especially true in business. Be sure to include realistic cost estimates for accomplishing each step.
2. Expecting to work hard in order to succeed. I’m not saying you should expect the worst, but you need to be prepared for it. Don’t expect anything to be easy. You will be right most of the time because things are rarely as easy as they look. Each step toward success usually requires work, time and patience. Sometimes things don’t work out right on the first try. You have to be willing to try again and again until you do succeed.
3. Not falling for ‘get-rich-quick schemes. The Internet is filled with people who prey upon those who are looking for quick, easy ways to become rich. Those ways do not exist for most people. Going into business with a lottery mentality is no different that walking into a casino with the objective of walking out with a personal fortune. They odds are with “the house,” not you.

Trust … on the web (Internet), in mailorder, or anywhere else in business or life … can only be “earned.”  Therefore, to inspire ‘trust,’ you must do those things which will allow you to “earn” the trust of the people with whom you deal.

To begin with, how many times have you gone to a website and discover there is absolutely no way of knowing ‘who’ operates the site … or how you can contact them (other than through the website itself)? — Then again, even when you contact them through the website, how often do you get a prompt response that actually “answers” your inquiry?

Unfortunately, too many petty crooks, phonies, flakes and fakes love the Internet for the simple reason that they can claim just about anything in their materials … without much chance of discovery … because no one knows who they are. — I have also observed that too many otherwise honest people use this same anonymity to simply hide the fact that they are beginners in the business community, working from home, or just a small operation.  (A lesson they learned from the Internet-Gurus who have told them that “on the Internet, you can look like a BIG company.”)

Throughout my 50 years (man & boy) in the business community, I have found that “real” business people put their “real” names and addresses on everything they do. — If YOU don’t want to put YOUR NAME on the products or services YOU sell, either YOU or YOUR PRODUCT are suspect.

Even when I was barely dry-behind-the-ears, I used my real name and address on everything I did. — I never tried to change people’s opinions about dealing with a kid. — If people didn’t want to deal with a kid, I accepted that as just another factor I had to overcome by providing “superior” service to those who would deal with a kid. — I let my “customers” convince the skeptics that I was worthy of their business.  (That’s what “testimonials” are all about.)

Beyond that, if anyone ever asked, I admitted that I was a kid. — I didn’t try to pretend I was anything other than what I was.

Granted, I always attempted to present the best “professional” appearance in all my dealings … just like the Internet-Gurus who tell you that you can have the appearance of a BIG company on your website … but, my “professional” appearance was adopted because I tried in all ways to “conduct” myself as a professional would in my dealings … my purpose was not to deceive.

Building “trust” in the business community requires only that you identify yourself, put your best professional-foot forward, admit your shortcomings, and “do exactly what you say you can do” promptly and professionally. — “Trust” will come … when you have earned it.

You can NOT earn anyone’s trust, if your are anonymous.

“What is the major difference between people making an extra $1,000 per month on the Internet and the ones that make big money?”

The answer is simple. — Well, maybe not so simple – but – over the years, I have observed that one of the greatest differences between those who achieve mediocre results … or no results … and those who start a small business and build an empire is that they have developed a …

“Tunnel Vision Approach”

Although “tunnel vision” … represented by a closed-in and very narrow view of the objectives of the company; like looking through a tunnel … is one of the curses of big, bureaucratic businesses, it is an absolute necessity for the beginning     entrepreneur.

Too many people who want to become rich and successful never reach their goals simply because they do not develop a tunnel vision approach to their goal.  Instead, they are constantly searching for that one perfect business; that one BIG deal, that will put them on Easy Street … overnight … for the rest of their life.

One week they are trying to get into the export business.  The week after they want to own a franchise, or buy an apartment building, or start a mailorder business.  Each new book they read creates a greener pasture for them to explore.  They don’t miss out on trying any, and every, new opportunity.  They may eke out an existence, or even achieve a modicum of success – but – they never make any real money.

Most of them keep their “day-job” while they explore opportunity after opportunity … never making a true commitment to any business … just dabbling in the business world; looking for that one big deal to give them “overnight success.” — If it wasn’t for their “day-job,” they … and their family … would starve to death.

The beginning entrepreneur who, on the other hand, develops a tunnel vision approach to making money usually makes it.

As an illustration, let me tell you a true story about my first successful full-time business … the business upon which I began building my empire.

Since the age of nine, I have been an avid reader of “how to make money” books. — Each time I read a new book, I discovered a new opportunity and chased around   trying for a time to make my fortune in that field.  The grass was always greener in this new pasture.  After all, I had been trying my current business for a couple months and hadn’t yet made my fortune.

Back in the mid-1960s, as a result of some of my reading, and with my wife’s urging, I had opened a small retail Women’s Wig Shop. — There was supposed to be a real fortune to be made in that field.

In a few months, I had read another book and was ready to get started on yet another quick fortune.  After all, I had opened the Wig Shop, like the “book writer” told me, and the world had not beaten a path to my door.

While I was explaining my proposed plans to my wife, she nearly floored me when she said, “Why don’t you just give up and let’s try to at least make a living from this Wig Shop.”  (By the way, nobody ever becomes rich and successful until they “give up” and quit chasing non-existent rainbows.)

Her comment cut deep into my male ego.  It intimated that I was less than a good provider and hadn’t really earned a living for us.  It made me mad … mad enough that I told her, “All right, if that’s what you want, I’ll do nothing but run the Wig Shop.  If it fails, we can starve together.”

In other words, I was going to show her that we couldn’t make it in the wig business.  I would be right, and she would have to agree that we should have gone ahead with my latest plans.

Since I was no longer spending my time developing or investigating new plans, I had plenty of time to get involved directly in the sale of wigs in the shop.

In no time at all, I learned that I couldn’t answer the questions the customers were asking about the wigs.  This led me to start reading everything I could about wigs.  How they were made.  Where they came from.  The differences in construction.  The tests of quality … what made one wig worth more than another. — All so I could answer the customers’ questions.

While I was learning these things, I also discovered that I was buying from third and fourth party dealers, and was paying entirely too much for my inventory …  only allowing me a gross profit of from 25% to 40%.  I found purchasing directly from the importers and manufacturers … importing the wigs myself … reduced my costs, and increased my profits.

Every time I got side-tracked and started working on a “new” project (outside the wig business), my wife would put it down by saying, “Look, we’re making money in the wig business.  Let’s stay with it.” — Slowly but surely, with my wife’s urging, I developed that all-important tunnel vision.

To make a long story short, in less than three years I was one of the largest wig dealers in the southeastern U.S.  My fortune was made. — I had bought a new Cadillac, a 14-room mansion with five bathrooms and a 20′ x 60′ swimming pool.

If you are now, like I was then, I can just about hear the comments running through your mind. — Hey, I’ve been there.  I know what I was thinking at the time.  — If your reasoning process follows what mine was back then, your thoughts are most likely something like this …

“If I put all my eggs in one basket, I could lose everything.”

Or …

“What if I get so involved in only one business that I miss that really big, one-time break that might come along?”

Or …

“What if the business only pays me a living wage?  I’ll be trapped.  I want to make a fortune, not just a living.”

What I did was to take the techniques and ideas I had learned about in other businesses in which I had been involved and applied them, while staying within the scope of my tunnel vision … the wig business.

If you’ve been reading “how to make money” materials for any time at all …  whether you realize it or not … you have soaked-up literally hundreds, upon hundreds, of business ideas, techniques and applications you can use in your business (no matter what that business may be).

As an example:  At one time, I had thought about getting started in a “Party Plan” business.  It didn’t pan out, but I applied the party plan idea to the wig business by going back to the party plan book and adjusting everything to fit my wig business.

It wasn’t unusual for one of my “wig parties” to produce from $300 to $500 in one evening. — More that a month’s salary back then.

Another book I had read told how a restaurant had increased its business by painting its building bright colors, adding banners and hand-painted signs.

So, I had the outside of one of my wig shops painted yellow, orange and red … using “Day-Glo” paint.  The windows were painted red, green, blue and yellow in a carousel pattern.  Hand-painted, brightly colored signs were everywhere … inside and out. — The business doubled overnight.

Reading about a novelty shop franchise, I had learned that they used a “loss leader” … an item they offered at cost; or less … to bring customers into the store.

Beauty salons in our area, at that time, were charging from $7.50 to $15 to style women’s wigs.  So, wig styling became my “loss leader.”  We did wig styling for $2 … if the woman bought at least one wig from our shop.

When a woman left a wig for styling, or picked one up, we could show them new styles.  They just kept buying.  One lady bought over 50 wigs from us in less than 2 years. — We did all of her wig styling at $2 each … saving her a fortune in styling charges alone – plus – she was a walking advertisement for our wig shop and referred countless new customers to us.

Once I learned, developed and used a tunnel vision approach in my wig business, I made my fortune through a logical progression of accumulation, leverage and natural diversification.

If you’re interested in learning the “natural diversification” that catapulted me from a successful business as a wig merchant to world-renown as a writer, publisher, mailorder marketer, buy a copy of my Mailorder Marketing course … “Own Your Own Mailorder Business” — http://www.businesslyceum.com/mailorder.html … turn to page #64 and read the story starting with the last paragraph on the page.

Throughout the years, I have observed that all successful business people …  especially my most productive dealers … have developed that all-important tunnel   vision approach in their businesses.

My all-time best, most productive dealer … may he rest in peace (he died in 1995) … became a dealer for one of my products in 1978. — I remember it well because his first check bounced and he had to pay for his future orders with Money Orders …  after he made his check good.

At first, his efforts were sporadic. — Some months, he would make a couple   thousand dollars.  Then, he might go 2 or 3 months without producing an order …    followed by a couple months when he would pick-up a few hundred dollars per month.

In mid-1983, his orders leveled-out at about $3,000 per month … by the end of the year, his monthly order volume was just over $5,000.

Five years later, he was earning over $20,000 per month … selling over $40,000 worth of my products each month.  I met the man for the first time when I attended a seminar in Chicago.

After we laughed about his first check to us bouncing, I learned that he had retired … with a reasonable pension … a couple years before he became a dealer for my products.  At that time, he was dabbling in a number of small businesses and thought mailorder might be a money-maker for him.  He chose one of my products to start – but – kept looking for other … better … opportunities.

At the end of 1982, he had looked back over what he had been doing and … to his amazement … discovered that he had made more money … dollar for dollar … selling my products, than from any other opportunity he had pursued.  So, he decided to put all of his efforts into selling my products.

In 1991 … his last year in business with me … he was earning over $100,000 per month from my products – plus – however much he made beyond that on the other, related, products he sold for other drop shippers.

So, the major difference between people making an extra $1,000 per month on the Internet and the ones that make big money, is the same as the difference between beginning entrepreneurs who just eke out a living in business and those who build empires.  Those who succeed are those who develop and use a tunnel vision    approach.  The others keep thinking there has to be something else … better, more profitable … that they could be doing, so they keep looking-for it, instead of using what they have to achieve the success they want.

Give up on finding a better, more profitable opportunity.  Apply yourself to the opportunity at hand … whatever it may be.  — Give-up spending your time developing or investigating new plans. — Make what you have work for you.  Accumulate, leverage and diversify logically. — You won’t succeed in anything until you develop and use a tunnel vision approach in your business endeavors … as all successful business people have.

Now, here’s a trick you can use to …

Organize Your Time & Efforts

At least once a month, I get something from “Day Timers” … they’re the people who produce all of those appointment and scheduling books you see Real Estate agents carrying around with them.

In one of their offerings, they included this “Success Tip.”

“Start Each Day by Making a List!  Jot down everything you need to do that day.  Then go back and number each item by priority.  Work on your #1 priority first and try to stay with it until you’re done.  Then start on #2 and so on.”

Very good advice – but – about 25 years ago, I found a better way … for me, anyway.

Every time I have an idea, or learn of a job I need to do, or think of a topic for this e-Letter, I print it … in red … on a 3″x5″ yellow Post-It note and stick it on the top of my desk.  Then, when I have some time, I do the jobs that need to be done; move the “idea” notes to my BIG Idea Notebook; and move the “topic” notes to my e-Letter Notebook.

When a job has been done, or an idea has been implemented, or a topic has been covered, I simply throw the note away.  That way, I don’t have to continually move jobs, ideas or topics ahead in a diary … besides, I don’t need a daily record of   everything I do, or think. — Once it’s done, the note is gone.

Hey, it works for me. — Try it.  It might work for you.

Question: Can you still make money publishing eBooks or do you think the big craze is over?

Answer: Well, I think the days of writing a “standard” ebook in crowded niche and making a lot of money are just about done for now. For instance, you can’t write a book on how to publish your own ebook and have customer’s beating a path to your door right now. If you pick a topic on which a “glut” of information already exists, you may want to consider another topic.

One possibility you may want to consider is – choosing a niche topic within the niche itself. In other words, forget generalities and go for specifics. You have to know your topic inside out in order to get the real pulse of the market and what the consumers in that market are looking for. In other words, you have to really do your homework before you get started. Preparation is imperative or else you’ll be spending your time writing about a topic people lost interest in twelve months ago.

If you have a pet subject or topic that you really want to write about, go ahead and give it a shot. Test your idea. If you have a passion for a topic, I would be the last person to try talking you out of it. That’s what I did with my publication: How to Write, Publish and Market a Self-Help Book. It was just one of those topics I had to “get off my chest.” But that’s just how I am sometimes!

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Question: Should I have a blog, a website or a combination of the two to really be successful in my niche?

Answer: First, I would tell you that success isn’t the result of having one or the other – or even a combination of the two. There are people who have every combination you just mentioned who don’t make any money at all. If you’re just starting out or are getting ready to redesign an existing site – you should consider soliciting the help of someone who knows what they’re doing. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, look into buying and formatting a template or possibly basing your design layout on one that already exists. What I’m saying is, don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

A blog is much easier to maintain than a full-blown website. If you’re going to update content regularly, you may want to seriously consider this route. You can create a sales page on your domain “outside” of your blog and then have your blog linked to the page. In other words, the blog will contain an advertisement for your product. Or, you can sell the item directly from your blog.

I personally have over 15 websites that I sell different products and services from. Half are the traditional web sites. The other half are blog-type sites built over WordPress.

Beyond the website, you have to have good sales copy. All the tools you need to do all the above is available for only $37.00 in my newly released “Guru” course (unless you’re going to go the traditional site route).

If you don’t have a product people want at the price that’s within your market’s reach – everything else will not be enough to carry your business.

You need the right product and the right offer. Then – you can build your site and/or blog around that.

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Question: When first starting out, whose “system” did you use? Also, are the changes you’ve made over time been the result of your own testing or ideas you’ve picked up from others?

Answer: I’ve never followed someone’s system – point by point. I have adopted and used principles learned from a variety of courses, however, with good success. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from following a paint by numbers system, though, if they’re just getting started. It will certainly save you time and prompt you to take action.

Another thing to consider is the fact that no two businesses are exactly alike. Each faces its own unique set of circumstances and challenges and has to react accordingly.

Over time, I’ve made changes and adjustments based upon my own testing and ideas shared with others. I’ve personally found that listening to my own instincts has worked the best in most situations. If I had to break it down by percentages, I’d say it would be about 80/20. Eighty percent of the changes I’ve made have been the result of my own testing. About twenty percent have come from the ideas I’ve implemented from others.

Remember, the Internet and the economies are always in a state of constant flux. By the time you read about Webinars being successful in your niche, they may already be “dying out.” That’s why I would recommend trying a few methods out and see what type of return they bring. Then, you can build your own system from there.

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Question: What is the cheapest and fastest way to make money online?

Answer: If I needed to make money in a hurry and I was just starting out, I’d probably join an affiliate program of some kind. To me, the Internet is about building a business – not making a fast buck. Basically, making a fast buck is a losing proposition for most people. Making “fast money” has led many a poor chump to ruin throughout history and it’s no different today.

If paying next month’s rent is the goal and you’re just starting out, you may want to consider some “offline” options, too!

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Question: How aggressive should you be when it comes to email marketing? Do you send out a lot of offers or a limited amount per month?

Answer: It all depends upon the tone of your email messages. The hard-sell turns a lot of people off these days. If people are unsubscribing from your list, you know some adjustments need to be made. All things being equal, people will always subscribe and unsubscribe from mailing lists. That’s just the nature of the beast.

In my own case, there are certain emails I look forward to reading every time they show up in my inbox. In most cases, these individuals or companies share solid to semi-solid information on a regular basis. Let’s face it, people are in business because they have families to feed and bills to pay. But like the old saying goes, you have to give in order to put yourself in a position to receive.

So make sure you follow this principle with your email marketing methods.

Minimally, you should be in contact with people at least once a month. Anything less and they’ll probably forget who you are and why they signed up for your list to begin with.

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Question: How effective is social media like Facebook and Twitter. I heard that very few people are actually converting friends and followers into paying customers. Do you have any information on the subject or test results?

Answer: Social media is has taken the world by storm. After the dust settles, some people have their fill with it and move back to traditional email and cell phone communication. I’ve talked to people who’ve deleted their Facebook accounts because it became too “time consuming.”

Others didn’t exactly relish the proposition of being in contact with people from the past on an ongoing basis. It’s funny because it reminds me of the subject of fame. Actors and Actresses strive to be noticed wherever they go. Then, once they have their fill, they to the opposite because they miss having their privacy.

Social networking can be like that and is for a growing number of people. As a business person, social networking can put you in contact with people in your hometown as well as others from around the world.

As far as putting you in contact with potential clients, I think it’s great. But realize this, converting Facebook and Twitter friends and followers into buyers isn’t any easier because you’re communicating with them on these social networks. In fact, people on these networks are inundated with advertisements all the time. It may actually be harder to convert them there!

Just like everything else, there isn’t any “magic” in the tool itself. It all depends upon how you use it.

Q: “I have come across a manufacturer in China that manufactures a product that would appeal to the market here in the U.S. — Therefore, I contacted the mfr. and expressed my interest to be an agent for them in the U.S. — They responded by saying that they welcomed my inquiry and that they are in fact, in need of an agent for the U.S. — What I want to do is get exclusive distribution rights for their product in the U.S. — Since I’m a novice at this, I would appreciate your direction. What should my next step be?”

A: Since the manufacturer in China has already expressed an interest in establishing an agent in the U.S., all you have to do now is “negotiate” a deal with them.

If I were doing it (as I have before), my next step would be to write them a letter; something like this …

Dear Mr. (use the name of the person who responded to your inquiry):

Thank you for your kind response to my letter of (date).

In response to your letter of (date), my company would consider it an honor to represent your product(s) in the U.S. (or, the U.S. & Canada; or, North America) on an exclusive basis.

To that possible end, please provide us with your lowest possible distributor prices, along with quantity breaks, quoted CIF (name your nearest U.S. Port of Entry).

We have taken the liberty to enclose herewith a preliminary contract for your consideration.

Thank you for your consideration.  We are looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Along with the letter, enclose a contract for their consideration. — You may want to have your attorney assist you in creating the contract in the proper legal form. — The contact could be something like this …

EXCLUSIVE SALES AGREEMENT

This AGREEMENT is made on the dates signed below, by and between (your name) of (your address); hereinafter referred to as (your one-word name), and (the Chinese company name) of (their address); hereinafter referred to as (their one-word name):

WHEREAS (Chinese company) is the manufacturer of (name of product) and is desirous of having said product distributed in the U.S. (or, the U.S. and Canada; or North America); hereinafter referred to as “territory,î and,

WHEREAS (your company) is a distributor of such products in the above stated “territory;”

IT IS AGREED by the parties above named, in consideration of the promises and covenants hereinafter contained, as follows:

1.  (Chinese company) grants to (your company) the exclusive sales and distribution rights to (name the products) throughout the above “territory.î

2.  (Your company) agrees to diligently sell and distribute (name the products) in accord with the terms and conditions of this agreement.

3.  (Chinese company) agrees to turn over to (your company) any and all orders and inquiries regarding stated product(s) it shall receive from the “territory.”

4.  (Chinese company) will provide (your company) with all technical data regarding the products; sales literature, brochures, catalogs, etc. currently in use for the product(s); and any and all future improvements (Chinese company) may develop relative to such product(s).

5.  (Your company) agrees to buy the stated products exclusive from (Chinese company) and refrain from marketing similar products in competition with (Chinese company).

6.  (Chinese company) agrees to maintain production capacity capable of supplying the orders
produced by (your company).

7.  (Your company) agrees to sell a minimum of XXX units (the quantity of products you plan to sell) of (Chinese company) product(s) during the first year of this agreement.  Should (your company) not sell XXX units within the first year, it shall be to the determination of (Chinese company) whether or not this agreement shall be continued for additional years.  This agreement shall renew automatically for additional years so long as a minimum of XXX units of the product are sold each year.  (Define what one unit of the product is to be.)

8.  (Your company) shall have the sole discretion to determine the methods of merchandising the products under this contract.

9.  (Your company) has the unfettered right to, and may, assign its rights and obligations under this agreement to a third party.

We, the undersigned, agree to the terms and conditions of this agreement on the below written dates.

Signatures:

Note: Be sure the products you are going to be selling can “legally” be imported into this country. — At one time, in the mid-1960s, I had the exclusive rights to sell a “Magnetic Therapy” machine from Japan in the U.S.  Only problem was, the F.D.A. forbid its import because of its unfounded medical claims. — Today … over 30 years later … Magnetic Therapy has gained acceptance; without F.D.A. approval.  So, check the product out with the Department of Commerce before you agree to sell something you can’t legally import into the U.S.

Although I, personally, have used letters and agreements similar to the above over the years, I went to the works written by the known authority on Exclusive Distribution Rights … the man the media call “The Millionaire Maker” … my dear friend, E. Joseph Cossman, for most of the wording above (rather than digging through my own archives … it was easier to find a draft copy in Joe’s course and edit it for you).

If you are really and truly interested in acquiring Exclusive Distribution Rights to products … and, more importantly learning how to effectively market those products, once you have the exclusive rights … do yourself a favor — go to your local bookstore and buy any book you can find by E. Joseph Cossman.  Then again, if you wanna get the best of Joe’s material, go directly to his website at:  http://www.cossman.com and take a close look at his “Home Study Course” — you’ll be glad you did!

If you’re serious about finding what works for you – personally, in your online business… there are a few things you have to think about and realize first.

First, you have to find the right audience for your product. All traffic is not created equal and you want to make sure a better percentage of the traffic coming to your site are the people who are genuinely interested in your kind of product or services. Think about it from the other side of the spectrum. How many websites have you been to once that you’ve never revisited again? A lot, right? How many websites have you visited more than 5 times? Only the ones you were really interested it. Now think about this as a business owner or website owner. What can you do to attract the people who want what you have?

How can you get these same people to return to your site on a regular or semi-regular basis? Now, switch positions again and become a web “surfer” in your thinking. What do the sites that you visit regularly or semi-regularly do or have that makes you return? Now, you’re starting to think like someone who can be successful with their Internet marketing efforts.

Now, let’s move on a little further. If you’re in the food industry (for example), invest a little time visiting cooking and fine dining forums. If you’re going to be involved in social network sites such as Facebook, make sure you join the groups that reflect your niche. Hey, it’s great to talk to and meet new people… but don’t lose sight of your marketing goals.

When I started www.TheBoxingMagazine.com, I was already a member of boxing forums throughout the Internet. Getting traffic was a breeze. Within 8-months, the traffic had quadrupled. Now, it’s true that I did use a few insider marketing tricks here and there, but that didn’t build the foundation of the site. My previously existing connections through the forums did.

Back in 1998 I published a lot of little eBook publications. Once again, I used the same blueprint of visiting and participating in marketing forums. Within a year, I had a targeted list of people who were INTERESTED in just about everything I published.

Was it easy? Well, yes and no. I did spend about an hour or two a day in those forums. It didn’t seem like work because I was talking to people who shared the same interests as me. When you hate doing something, maybe you need to consider another line of work. No matter what you do, there will always be certain elements you may not exactly care for. But that goes for anything in life.

When I had pets, I hated walking them in the rain and bad weather. I hated cleaning up after them. But I loved them because they were nice animals who were always happy to see me – unless there was a rolled up newspaper in my hand.

Pricing Your Products

You should always have at least two price-points for your products and services. Lower priced products and services can be used to bring people to the table. Once they’re there, if they “like what you’re serving,” they’ll be more apt to spend the money on the higher priced products.

Selling strictly cheap stuff isn’t going to pay for much of anything for you. A simple example is Pizza. My friend who is an accountant in Jersey once told me, “Jim, I have a few clients who own pizza joints… and you know what? You’ve gotta sell a lot of pizza to make any money.”

There’s nothing worse than working hard and having nothing to show for it. That’s the whole purpose of being in business for yourself – so you can avoid that scenario altogether!

On the other hand, if people are not familiar with what you have to offer, they may not be willing to part with hundreds or thousands of dollars without “testing the waters” first.

Putting A FACE to Your Business

Sooner or later, everyone needs to add a little “Personality” to their business. I don’t care if it’s online or offline. Personality sells. That’s where the old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” comes from. If people like you, they’ll do business with you. It can be your personal style… or perhaps you’re entertaining in some way.

It could be something as simple as making people laugh and having them enjoy your company. All of this puts “a face” to your business. Colonel Harland Sanders became the face of his Kentucky Fried Chicken business. Dave Thomas became the face of Wendy’s. Donald Trump doesn’t even own or run most of his old companies anymore, but the board keeps him on because he (his personality) connects with the general public. The list can go on and on in this area. Big or small, you can still come across as personal in all of your marketing, publicity and promotion efforts. I remember the original Arthur Perdue. He was so bland and dry; he made people laugh without trying when he was on TV talking about his chicken. When you ate Arthur’s chicken, you weren’t just eating any chicken, you were eating a well-fed, Perdue chicken!

I’ve worked with many different business types over the years and have found that – no matter what the business or what the niche; the simplest marketing plans seem to work the best. The less moving parts, the better.

Trial and error are a part of just about everything we do in life. To some extent, the same holds true with business. It’s true that we’re in the midst of trying times, financially speaking as both a nation… and as a world. People are still spending money; they’re just spending less of it which brings me to the last point…

Creating Value

I have a webmaster program that includes SEO marketing, webhosting, email marketing and some other “goodies” thrown in there that starts at $60 a month. It’s one of my best-selling services because it provides a total solution for my clients.

First, they don’t have to pay someone to be a webmaster on their books. They get an hour’s worth of free updates each month. Then, they get a mass mailing system that’s included with their site. They also get a press release sending service (for publicity throughout the state of Florida – or the rest of the USA if they need it). On top of it all, I’m their resident consultant that they can call, talk to and bounce ideas off of.

In your business, you have to know what people want before you can provide it for them. You have to make adjustments. People are willing to pay for products and services that are problem solvers. When they can clearly see the benefits that come from doing business with your company, that’s the blueprint for Internet success. Obvious you can see them, because you know and are acutely aware of the finer details of what you have to offer. The question is – is everyone else seeing what you’re seeing?

If not, then you must continue to change and adjust until they do!

I just finished speaking with a woman who runs her own studio. She is generating 90% of her new clients from Google Adwords, but times are rough.

Her marketing has been impressive, and has kept her business going for the last 3 years, but with diminishing returns. With the economy falling, and people tightening their budgets, she is scared.

She contacted me because she realized one thing. She has lots of happy and delighted clients, but she isn’t being deliberate about her word of mouth marketing, so…

…She Is Getting ZERO Referrals!

Consider your own business for a moment.

Do you have a word of mouth strategy in your business, and if you do, does it work?

Think about how many hours and dollars you are putting into your current marketing, and then make this 5 point comparison…

1. How much do people spend with you on their first purchase? (Immediate Profit.)

Do they usually buy a smaller product with less options to test you out first, or do they take up your biggest package straight away?

People who are referred to you automatically trust you to a greater degree, because of the trust they have with the person who referred them.

This is probably why referred customers tend to spend more than clients brought in by any other marketing method. They have less need to test you out with a small sale first, just to be sure.

In this economy, how price sensitive do you think YOUR customers are becoming?

2. How often do they come back? (Repeat Sales.)

Word of mouth methods always include follow-up and client retention.

Clients are much more likely to return to you, if only because they are talking again with the person who referred them to you in the first place.

If their experience with you is positive then the discussion about the referral will be a positive one too, perhaps encouraging both parties to want to come back to you again!

3. How often they refer others? (Doing Your Marketing For You.)

Referred clients need much less education on referring others to you. They were referred themselves so they understand a) you accept/want referrals, and b) you will take good care of the person they refer, just like you looked after them.

This measure is so often missed when calculating the value of other forms of marketing, but is absolutely crucial when deciding the lifetime value of what a particular client brings into your business.

4. How effective are the referrals they give you? (Quality Customers.)

Word of mouth clients generally complain less, pay on time more often, and are more enjoyable to work with, when compared to clients coming from any other method.

Your best customers can be educated to help you maintain and even improve the quality of customers you get.  Therefore, when your very finest clients refer people to you, you end up receiving incredible clients as a bonus, and your overall business goes up a level.

5. The overall profit per customer? (The Life-Time Value Bottomline.)

Just on the basis of the first 4 measures alone no other method of marketing will produce as good a return on your investment as word of mouth referrals.

And… here’s the extra kicker!

Even though “Word of Mouth Magic” covers many referral marketing methods that require money to get started with, many of them can be done without even spending a single, solitary cent more!

At its simplest, you just need to adapt what you are already doing. For instance, add to your written information on letterheads, emails, website and even invoices, something that lets people know that you get, want and appreciate referrals. Planting the seeds for a harvest of referrals can often be done at no cost at all.

The woman running the studio knew her current marketing wasn’t giving her as good a return as referrals.

How well do your current marketing methods measure up against word of mouth?

_____________________________________
Martin Russell

www.WordofMouthMagic.com

People often ask me …

“How can I get rich?”

Well … let me tell you how I did it.

1) I learned very early in life that the ONLY way to make money was to “sell” something … either a product or a service … something people wanted or needed – or – do something for them they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, do for themselves.

2) I learned to “make do” with what I had, until I could get what I needed to do a better job.

3) I learned that I had to do anything necessary (but legal) to get to where I wanted to be, even if I didn’t like doing it (especially if I didn’t like doing it). — You can do ANYTHING you need to do … until you can do what you want to do.

“Start by doing what is  necessary, then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — Saint Francis of Assisi

4) I learned to never ask anyone to do anything for me that I wasn’t willing to do myself – and – everyone who has ever worked with me has taught me about what they have done for me and how they did it. After a while, I could do it, too – but – maybe not as well as they did.

“Anyone can be a genius, if they pick just one specific subject and study it diligently just 15 minutes each day.” — Albert Einstein

5) I learned to “pay” for what I wanted. If I couldn’t afford it, I saved-up to be able to afford it. (Sometimes if seemed like forever.)

6) I learned that no matter how long it took to achieve my goal (whatever it was), it would have been just as long if I hadn’t persisted, but I would have accomplished nothing.

7) I learned that NOTHING is as easy or as fast as it should be. It only gets easier and faster when you know how to really do it – and – learning how to really do it is just a matter of doing it over, and over, and over, until you finally find out how it works. Of course, if you give up after the first (second, third, or fourth) try, you’ll never do it.

“The secret to success is the constancy of purpose.” — Benjamin Disraeli
I learned most of what I know from my mistakes and failures.  My successes never taught me anything … they were only based upon what I had learned from my mistakes and failures.  (That’s why those who are afraid to make mistakes, or fail, never achieve the success they desire.)

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” — Bill  Gates
9) I learned that my most prized possessions were my customers. People who, directly or indirectly, paid for my lunch every day. (That’s why, unlike my contemporaries, I reply to my customers emails personally.)

10) I learned that “money” is NOT an end unto itself … it is only a way of keeping score. (The saddest people in the world are those who are forever chasing the almighty dollar – and – the vast majority of them have no real respect for money.)

11) I learned to ASK for what I wanted or needed – and – to graciously accept a “NO” as readily as a “YES.”

YES … you can get rich – but – you’ll have to do  it yourself.
No one will do it for you!

I get tickled by people who want to start at the top of the ladder. — For some unknown reason, they honestly believe they are better than I am, since I had to start on the bottom rung and climb up one rung at a time.

When I mention the above, I often hear … “Yeah. I could do that – but – it will take too much time. I need money now – and – I don’t want to just make a little money, I want to get rich.”

Sorry, you’ll have to start where I started. — Do what you need to do to make a little money. Then, do more and more of it to make more and more money. As you make more and more money, the greater the opportunities you will have to make even more money. — Nothing succeeds like success … even small success.

The more things you don’t want to do, the fewer and fewer things you will do … until you are doing as most people do … NOTHING but dreaming!